Against All Odds
by SiriusMarauderFan
Summary: Rose isn't looking forward to the Christmas holidays this year. It'll be the longest time she'll have to go without seeing her boyfriend. She plans to change that. Written for two challenges in the HPFC. One-Shot.


**Author's Note:**

This was written for xxx-angelin-xxx's "Don't get too friendly" Rose/Scorpius challenge (prompt: dignity), as well as daysandweeks' Quiz & a Challenge (prompt: torch).

Just so y'all know, this probably isn't going to be my greatest work ever. I stayed up all night to finish it in time for the deadline and all I want to do is pass out right now. That being said, I had a lot of fun writing it, and I actually had a few more ideas... oh, well. =)

**Against All Odds**

It had been a relatively calm winter. The one snowfall from early December had produced enough white mush to last for the weekend before melting away. Since then the weather had been like a mild autumn day. That was why Rose found the sudden and completely unexpected snow storm so unnerving. _Perhaps it's a sign of things to come_, she thought nervously.

It wasn't like Rose to be nervous, especially not when it came to Scorpius. They'd been dating for almost a year now and she liked to think there was nothing about him that could possibly worry her. If only he agreed.

She stared out the window of her dorm in Gryffindor tower for a few more minutes, watching the swirling snowflakes carefully, unable to see past them or make out any features of the grounds. Even the light on in Hagrid's hut, which was always visible and comforting to her, was blocked out.

Danneel, her best friend, came in and sat down on the bed beside hers.

"Andrew wanted me to remind you that it's your turn to patrol tonight," she said.

"I know," Rose muttered, tearing her eyes away from the window and looking down at the book in her hands. It was the latest Charms textbook. She stuffed in the bag sitting beside her and swung it over her shoulder. "Are you going to bed early?" she asked Danneel.

"Probably. I don't want to miss the train."

Rose nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow." She left the dorm and went down the staircase into the common room. She was headed for the door when a tall brunette boy stopped her.

"Rose, hey. Did Danny give you the message?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Of course she did. And I already told you, I don't need reminders of when it's my turn to patrol. I _have_ been doing this for a year already, you know."

"I just don't want you to be late, it might look bad on Gryffindor. And you were cutting it really close tonight."

"Exactly the reason I really have to go now. Malfoy'll be waiting for me. See you tomorrow, Andy." She sprinted from the room before he could say anything else. When she had put several corridors between them, she slowed down to a walk.

The castle seemed deserted as she walked down one flight of stairs and through another corridor. The occasional student would run past her, quickening their pace when they noticed the silver Prefects' badge pinned to the front of her robes. Each time they did, she'd look down at her watch and they'd scurry out of sight.

At five minutes to nine, Rose arrived at the Prefects' Lounge. Not many people knew about the room, it switched locations during the summer, and the password was changed more often than that of the common rooms. There wasn't much in there. A coat rack, a table with six chairs, a couple of couches, and a notice board. It was really only supposed to be used for meetings or a place for the professors to put up announcements.

Tonight the room was filled, which surprised Rose. There hadn't been any warning of a meeting, it was just supposed to be another routine patrol. She and Scorpius, alone.

"Rose, there you are," said her cousin James. He was Head Boy. "Where's Macmillan?"

"I left him in the common room. It's only supposed to be mine and Malfoy's patrol, isn't it?" James scowled and glared across the room at Melissa Corner, Head Girl.

"It should be, yes. But _apparently_ we have a raid to conduct tonight."

Rose looked over at Scorpius. He didn't seem too pleased with the turn of events either.

"Don't sound so surprised, Potter. This party happens every year," said Melissa.

"Right, just like it'll happen next year, and the year after that. Stopping it tonight won't make much of a difference."

"So says the boy who was caught attending the party five years in a row."

"Four. Professor McGonagall agreed that I could have been there to break it up in fifth year."

"But you weren't, were you, Jamie?" said Rose.

"Course not. But that's not the point."

"Fine, then. The point is that this Christmas party is not happening at all tonight." Melissa looked around at everyone in the room, daring them to disagree with her. "Stanley, go up to Gryffindor tower and collect Macmillan and the fifth years."

"Yes, Miss Corner," said a young Ravenclaw.

"Once they get here we can split into teams to search for the party location."

Rose laughed. "You don't even know where it _is_?"

"Well, I thought someone might've heard where it was..."

Everyone turned to James, who was smirking.

"Don't look at me. I stopped getting invited to parties years ago. Kind of a buzz kill, having a Prefect partying with you one second and confiscating your firewhiskey the next." He failed to mention that he knew several people who would be attending tonight, but Rose wasn't about to correct him. Hugo had been invited as well.

"Does anyone know where the party's being held?" Melissa asked. No one answered. "Fine. Then we'll just have to search everywhere."

"But that'll take all night, and we've got the train home early tomorrow," said a Hufflepuff girl.

"So you can sleep then. This is my last year. I won't have students breaking the rules on my watch." Everyone groaned.

Rose put her bag onto the shelf with her name on it. It was was going to be a long night, she wouldn't have any time for reading.

When the others returned, Melissa kept her word and made everyone split into teams. As Heads, she and James had to go together, although both cringed at the thought. Most others were pairing with their house and year mate. Scorpius saved Rose from being taken by Andrew when he took her arm and told Melissa that he might they were going to check the dungeons. The last thing Rose saw before he pulled her from the room was James' disapproving look.

"Could you have been more obvious?" she hissed at her boyfriend as he pulled her down a staircase. "You should have just told them we're going to the Astronomy Tower, then Melissa won't come looking for us later."

"Don't be so dramatic," he told her. "We actually are going down to the dungeons."

Some of the nervousness she'd felt earlier returned at the thought of entering the dungeons with him. She knew she shouldn't be worried - she'd been there hundreds of times before - but it always creeped her out down there.

"People are going to start suspecting we're dating, you know." He raised an eyebrow.

"Just now? I would've thought they'd gotten the message months ago, when we started kissing in public and all that."

"You know what I mean," she huffed. "If Melissa finds out, she'll stop letting us patrol together."

"I'm not afraid of the almighty Melissa Corner. Your cousin on the other hand..." Scorpius gave her a sideways glance. "James doesn't know about us yet, does he?"

"He's not stupid. He must know by now, if someone hasn't already told him."

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the dungeons. When they finally reached the stone floor, Rose's hand automatically reached out to hold his.

"Where are we going?" she whispered, as if every Slytherin in the entire school were listening in. Scorpius grinned at her.

"It's a surprise."

"You know I hate surprises."

"Yeah. But I think you're going to like this."

He pulled her though the long corridor, taking an abrupt turn every now and then, going deeper into Hogwarts than Rose had ever cared to go. They never ran into anyone, thankfully, but the eerie glow from the light of the torches on the stone walls still creeped her out, especially when Scorpius took one and put out the light on his wand, much to her protests.

Scorpius stopped walking when they'd taken a left turn and come to a dead-end. Rose crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

"Lost, are we?"

He didn't say a word, grinning back instead. He stepped forward and touched a hand to the wall blocking their path. There was nothing on it. No portraits, no torches, no sign that anyone had ever been in this part of the dungeons. Slowly, he tilted the torch forward, letting the flames lick at the wall.

"What are you doing? You're going to damage the wall."

"No, it won't. Watch."

The flames had blackened the stone, except for a few letters magically written there - invisible unless the wall around it changed.

"_Sil placet claudo_," Scorpius whispered the words. To Rose's amazement, the wall gradually faded away until an empty archway was left. Taking her hand, Scorpius led the way inside.

The room was as big as the Gryffindor common room, but that was where the similarities ended. A dining table set for two was off to one side. The large stone fireplace positioned in the far corner with one couch in front of it was already lit. The rest of the furniture was covered in white sheets. Candles of different shapes and colors where all around the room, the only source of light.

Rose turned around and found herself looking at a blank wall - the doorway had gone.

"What is this place?"

"Legend has it, it was Salazar Slytherin's personal chamber. Albus helped me find it." Scorpius crossed the room to the dining table and pulled out a chair for her. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." She took the offered seat and watched him take the one opposite her. "Wait, how on Earth did you get Al to help you?"

Scorpius chuckled. "Well, I told him I wanted to do something really special for you. I would have gone to James, since he seems to know more about hidden rooms and passages, but since he doesn't know about us-"

"And he doesn't like you."

"That too ... I thought Albus was a safer bet. And he was actually pretty willing to help, for you. Now-" Scorpius handed her a menu. "I've got connections in the kitchen. Order whatever you want."

Rose ordered a bowl of vegetable soup while Scorpius had a steak and baked potato. Soup was the simplest thing she could think of. Rose had inherited her mother's fondness for house-elves and didn't want them to have to work hard so late at night.

"Excited to be going home tomorrow?" he asked her after they'd started to eat.

"I'd rather you come with me."

"I'm sure your parents might have something to say about me interrupted your holiday."

"Don't be silly, my parents love you. Mum says you're welcome to come over any time."

Scorpius shook his head. "I wish I could. Grandfather's joining us for Christmas this year, so I have to be there."

He didn't have to say which of his grandfathers were coming, Rose knew from the tone of his voice that it was Lucius, which was fine with her. She bit her lip, thinking hard about the question she wanted to ask, knowing right away that he'd say no. She had to give it a shot anyway.

"Well, I don't want to wait a month to see you," she said, he shrugged.

"There's not much we can do about that."

"Yes, there is. Why don't I visit your house?" She looked hopefully at him, but he looked shocked at the idea.

"Rose, you know that can't happen."

"Why _not_?" she said, dropping her spoon into the bowl. She couldn't be bothered to care about what her mother would say. "You've managed to keep me away from your house all summer, and now you expect me to be okay with not seeing you until school starts up again? Scorpius, I want to meet your family."

He sighed and looked away. "It's not that easy. My mother will love you, I'm sure. But my father..."

"Why? Because I'm half-blood?"

"No. My father gave up on those beliefs years before I was born. But he still has high expectations of whoever I go out with. And my grandfather's even worse. He never admits it, but I'm sure he still believes in blood purity." Scorpius looked her in the eye. "Rose, I just don't want to put you through the scrutiny. Besides, you probably won't like it. We're going to some stuffy resort in Italy."

"If Lucius wasn't there, would you let me come?"

"Maybe. If you could handle my father's endless list of questions." They both laughed.

"Then I _will_ be meeting them at the next possible moment, right?" She watched him, waiting for the answer, silently daring him to say no.

"All right, fine. The next possible moment - _after_ this holiday."

Rose nodded in agreement and went back to eating her soup.

:-:

There was more mischief happening on the train ride back to King's Cross than Rose ever remembered happening. This was largely due to Melissa's would-be raid the night before. The Prefects were too tired to patrol on the train and most had passed out during the first half hour on board.

Rose watched Albus and Lily drag a half-asleep James over to where their parents were waiting on the platform and she waved at them. When her own parents appeared beside them, she ducked back into the train to retrieve her trunk and owl cage. They were still stacked perfectly in the compartment where she'd left them, but there was an envelope with her name on it next to them, attached to a tiny black box. Hearing Hugo calling her name out in the corridor, Rose promptly stuffed them in her pocket and grabbed her luggage.

On the ride home, when Hugo was busy explaining to their parents about how he'd single-handedly won the Quidditch Cup that year, she pulled out the letter.

_Rose,_

_I'm sorry we won't be seeing much of each other over the holidays, but I promise to write as often as I can. So expect to be pelted with owls because I'm going to be bored stiff in Italy. I'd much rather be spending the time with you, even if that means being around your brother as well._

_Have a happy Christmas and tell your mum and said hi._

_Enclosed is a little pre-Christmas gift. I hope to see you wearing it the next time we meet._

_Love,_

_Scorpius_

She tucked the letter away again and pulled out the box. As she was about to open it, she noticed the faint picture of a crown on top of a crow head. It was the widely-known symbol of Corneille Avide, the small jewellery store that Rose wouldn't bother entering unless she had all the money in her parents' vaults at her disposal. Inside the box was a silver bracelet with a single charm hanging from it. Her favorite animal, an owl, in flight.

Rose smiled and put it on her wrist, watching the afternoon sunlight shine off of it as she imagined going to Italy.

:-:

After dinner that night, Rose couldn't let herself relax enough to enjoy talking with her dad and Hugo about the coming Quidditch season. She couldn't stop thinking about Scorpius; how miserable he was going to be, and how much she wanted to see him. She went in search of her mother - as she always did when she needed help making tough decisions, or talking out of ridiculous ideas - and found Hermione wrapping Christmas gifts in her office.

"Mum, do you have a minute to talk?"

Without looking up, Hermione reached for a roll of rapping paper and handed it to her daughter. "I need to get all these wrapped tonight, so work while you talk," she said, motioning to the large pile of items on the floor beside her.

Rose got to work and hesitantly began. "So, um, what are we doing this month?"

"Well, we've got Christmas Eve with my parents this year, and then all of Christmas with your dad's family."

"Nothing planned after that?"

"Just being together at home. Why?"

"Well, I was just thinking..." She trailed off, becoming more interested in cutting a straight line in the reindeer-printed wrapping paper.

"Rose, what is it?"

"Scorpius is going away with his family for the holidays-"

"And he wants you to join him?"

"No, that's just the thing! He doesn't want me to visit him at all."

Hermione stopped taping up a present to stare at her daughter. "Why not?"

"His _grandfather_ is going to be there. Scor doesn't want me to meet him."

"Oh." Hermione went back to work. "Very sensible of him."

Rose sighed. "I don't see what the problem is. We were worried about telling dad about us for ages, and that turned out all right."

"It's quite a bit different. Your father hated Scorpius' when we were at school, that's why he was so apprehensive when you two started dating. And I imagine Draco will have the same reaction when you meet him, but Lucius is ... different. And I'd really prefer you not go anywhere near him."

"It's not like he can hurt me," the teenager reasoned. "No matter what he thinks of me. Scorpius says his parents don't share Lucius' beliefs, so they won't let anything happen to me. And we'll probably be the resort all the time, anyway."

"Resort?"

"Yeah. Scorpius says they're going to some stuffy old resort in Italy."

"Ricorso di Vita?"

"What?"

"The Ricorso di Vita. It's one of the most luxurious ski resorts in Italy. I've been begging your father to take me there for years." Hermione sighed dreamily.

"Do you think it could be where the Malfoys are going?"

"Probably. It has a good reputation with the _old_ families, but anyone's allowed." Hermione became silent for a moment, before she said quietly, "You know, it's so big, you could probably spend weeks there without ever running into some guests." And she gave Rose a pointed look.

"You think so?"

"Yes. And there are so many things to do there besides skiing, Hugo and your father wouldn't get bored. Hypothetically, of course."

"So, does this mean-"

"It means you have to promise me that you'll stay away from Lucius Malfoy at all costs. I'm serious, Rose. Some people don't stop being Death Eaters; he's one of them. To him, you're no more than the daughter of a muggle-born and a blood traitor."

"There's a chance he won't hurt me for fear of being found out and going to Azkaban."

"There is, but it's not a risk I'm willing to take. It's the only condition I have. Under no circumstances are you to be in the same room as Lucius Malfoy."

Rose bit her lip as she thought it through. Ultimately, she knew she would have to agree, but that didn't change the fact that she wanted to meet Lucius. She wasn't sure why, really, after all she'd heard about him. Perhaps she wanted to prove him wrong about her family, or perhaps she wanted his approval and to know that he wouldn't be giving Scorpius a hard time when she wasn't around. For whatever reason, she had enough common sense to know that it was absolutely stupid.

"All right. I agree."

Hermione let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, then. I'm going to tell your father. Keep wrapping, though. I still need those done tonight."

:-:

The first week of holidays went by rather slowly. On the first day, they put up a tree decorations all over the house to make it look at least a little festive for the week they'd be there. The second day was spent Christmas shopping with Albus and Lucy in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, where Rose managed to find the perfect frame for the picture of the Pride of Portree Quidditch team that her aunt Ginny had managed to get signed by the entire team for him.

On the third day, Rose received a letter from Scorpius, saying how he had to endure a talk with his father about why he hadn't dated anyone in a while. She wrote back and told him how much she missed him, how her mother had asked why he wouldn't be coming over, and how her father missed the extra person to talk Quidditch with. The letters reminded Rose that she had yet to send gifts and cards to all her friends from Hogwarts. After she took care of that, she was able to spend the rest of the day watching Christmas movies with her parents.

Hermione put everyone to work cleaning on the fourth day, so that she could put the house and plants under a temporary stasis charm while they were away and come back to a clean house. Early on the Christmas Eve, they drove to the Grangers' house, which wasn't too far away from where they lived. They spent the entire day and night there, and left for the Burrow early on Christmas. The seventh day was spent at home, having their private Christmas and unwrapping gifts that had been sent from friends while they were gone.

Finally they were ready to leave. Hermione put the charm over the house, the owls had been left in the Potters' care while the cats were staying with Hermione's parents. All that had to be done was grab the luggage and Floo to the resort.

After checking in and being shown the two joining rooms they'd be staying in for the vacation, the family ventured down to the dining room for a late breakfast. Rose hung back in the lobby and told her parents she'd be along in a moment. When they had gone, she found Signore Lando, the concierge, at the front desk.

"How can I help you, Signorina Weasley?" he said as she approached the desk. It impressed her slightly, as they hadn't met.

"I'm looking for a friend who might be staying here as well. I was wondering if you would be able to tell me if he is."

"Certainly. His name?"

"Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy."

There were no computers at the front desk like there were at the other hotels Rose had visited with her family, so she wasn't really sure how Lando planned to find anything out at first. Then he pulled from under the counter a thick book and flipped it open to the page marked with a capital M surrounded by scrollwork. She saw as he turned a page and touched a finger to the name Malfoy, that the writing beside it was changing.

"Yes, the Malfoy family is staying here," he confirmed. "The book tells me they are just finishing breakfast in their suite. Shall I notify you when they are finished?"

"Yes, please. I'll be in the dining room with my family."

"Very well."

Rose found her family at a table near the tall windows, overlooking snowy mountains.

"What took you so long? We had to order for you," Hugo said as if it was a great chore to do so.

"I thought I recognized someone in the lobby," she lied and took a sip of some orange juice.

"Oh, one of your friends is here?" Ron asked.

"Yes. Actually, I was hoping I could go catch up with her after breakfast. If it's all right with you."

"That's fine," said Hermione, giving her a smile. "I want to read by the pool for a while."

"I heard there's a pitch here. Gavin says I need to keep practicing if we plan to kick Slytherin's behind this year," Hugo said, giving his sister a smirk.

"Just as long as you don't take all day. This is supposed to be a vacation, not training camp."

Ron chuckled. "Well, if you need someone to play Keeper for you, I'm free. Rosie, you should come play with us when you're done with your friend."

"Sure. Maybe we can get a real game going with some of the other guests."

"Sounds great. Where are you going to be, anyway?"

"Well-" Lando put a hand on her shoulder, interrupting her.

"Signorina, here is the information you asked for." He handed her a slip of parchment and walked away.

It was one sentence- _'The pool, in a half-hour.'_

"Um, apparently I'm going to the pool as well," she said and shrugged.

:-:

Hermione had gone a few minutes ahead of her. Rose didn't want them to be seen together in case Draco recognized her mother. She had even made sure to straighten her curly dark red hair at home in the hopes of furthering herself from her family.

The Ricorso de Vita's outdoor pool was actually indoors. Glass walls and ceiling let guests enjoy the sunlight and beauty of the mountains without having to worry about the extreme cold. The pool itself was the size of a quidditch pitch. Fifty or so pool chairs lay on either side of it, with several patio sets scattered all over.

Scorpius was already seated at a table with his parents when Rose arrived, dressed in a white, one-piece bathing suit and carrying her charms textbook. Now that she saw them sitting there, she wasn't so sure she wanted to go through with it. Not because she was afraid, but because she knew Scorpius would be mad that she had come.

Taking a deep breath, she started in the direction of the table just behind his, trying not to stare at them too much. Luckily he looked her way just as she was passing their table.

"Rose?" he said, uncertain.

She turned around and smiled at him. "Scorpius, what a surprise!"

"Er, yeah. What are you doing here?"

"Scorpius." Draco interrupted their reunion and raised an eyebrow at his son. "Aren't you going to introduce your friend?"

"Right. Of course." Scorpius jumped up from his seat and brought Rose closer to the table. "Dad, Mum, this is Rose. She's a friend."

"It's lovely to meet you," Rose said, smiling despite being called a 'friend.'

"Likewise," said Astoria. "It's funny, actually. We were just saying how we never get to meet any of Scorpius' friends, and now here you are."

Draco nodded. "Yes. Won't you join us?"

"Oh, I'm sure Rose has to go. Right, Rose?" Scorpius seemed far too hopeful.

"No."

"Your family's not waiting for you?"

"Not at all. They're all busy. And I'd love to join you, Mr. Malfoy." She took the two available seats, leaving her boyfriend standing awkwardly.

"Please, call me Draco." He grinned at her and Rose saw what her mother meant about how much Scorpius looked like his father. "So, tell me, how did you two meet? You're not in Slytherin, I gather."

"How do you know that?"

"I know every Slytherin in Scorpius' year. And you look to be a sixth year."

Rose chuckled. "I am. I'm one of the Gryffindor prefects. Scorpius and I got to know each other while working together over the past year."

"Well, well. Another prefect. No doubt excellent at charms if you're carrying that book around on holiday, and obviously very pretty... You're sure you two aren't dating?" Draco pressed.

Scorpius groaned and took the last empty seat. "Father, we just talked about this - I'm not dated anyone right now." For this he earned a kick under the table from Rose. He took it infuriatingly well, not showing the slightest hint that he felt it.

"Oh, Scorp, he was only joking," said Astoria. "But it would be nice for you to bring a girlfriend home to meet us sometime. I don't think you've had anyone over since Brietta, and that was two years ago."

Rose decided to intervene. "In all fairness Mrs. Malfoy, Scorpius hasn't really had time for dating. I mean, what with classes and Quidditch practice and prefect duties, there's hardly any time left. Even on our last night before holidays, Scorpius lead the raid of the illegal Christmas party being held that night while most of the student faculty had gone off to bed."

"Really? Scorpius, why didn't you tell us about this?"

"I ... didn't want to brag." He shot Rose a glare when his mother turned away to call for a waiter to bring them iced tea.

"So, Rose, what else can you tell us about Scorpius that we don't already know?" asked Draco.

"Dad-"

"Well, Professor Wittle says he's the second-best Potions student in our year - second to me-"

"Know it all."

"My cousin has lost a total of a hundred and forty-six galleons betting that Scorpius would drop the quaffle every time he plays - that's not to mention the twenty he's won-"

"Liar."

"And he was once late to class and had fifteen points taken from Slytherin, just to help a little Gryffindor girl pick up the books she'd dropped."

"She fails to mention that the girl later accused me of stealing one of her books."

"Well, how was _I_ supposed to know that Peeves had snatched it?"

Draco seemed to enjoy this banter very much. His loud laughter was making several people look their way. Including, Rose saw, her mother across the pool.

"I'm glad the house rivalries aren't what they were in my day," the older wizard said when he was able to breathe again. "Especially with prefects."

"We do try to lead a good example," Scorpius admitted. Rose wondered if that meant she'd be finding the fifth year prefects snogging in the trophy when she returned.

Draco nodded. "That's good. I'm not sure Scorpius has told you, Rose, but I was a bit of a terror when I became prefect."

"And before he became prefect," his wife added. He didn't disagree.

"In those days, Slytherins weren't encouraged to be friendly to the other houses. In fact, I even-" He was interrupted by the melody his watch was emitting.

Rose swore it sounded quite a bit like _Doxy Wings and Billywig Stings_, a song by the old band her aunt Ginny liked, the Weird Sisters. She was too afraid to ask if that was the tune.

"We're late for our spa appointments," Draco told his wife. "Rose, I must insist you join us for lunch this afternoon."

"Oh, I'm not sure if I can. My family might want to spend the rest of the day together. This is our first night."

"All right. Tomorrow, then, and we'll make it dinner. I won't take no for an answer, so you'll have to tell them to send me an owl if they have any problems." He and Astoria stood. "Have a lovely day. Scorpius, we'll see you at eleven."

When they had gone, Rose grinned smugly. "I don't you not to be worried." Her boyfriend nodded slowly.

"Oh, yes. They certainly seem to like you. And I'm _sure_ they won't be mad when they find out I've just lied to them about dating you. Or when you tell them you're a Weasley." He sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Scorpius, please don't be mad. I just wanted to spend the holiday with you. When I told Mum what was going on, and she figured out that you were probably here, well, it all just seemed to work out."

"Wait, your mum knows you're here?"

"Of course. You think I'd go on vacation without my family?" She laughed.

"No, it's just ... your dad let you come all the way here to see me? Over spending time with the family?"

"Well, actually, he sort of thinks I bumped into a friend from school in the lobby this morning and I'm spending time with her."

"Her?"

"I'll straighten him out tomorrow, okay? I promise." She smiled sweetly at him and he nodded. "In the mean time, we have another issue to deal with. Mum's one condition was that I can't be in the same room as Lucius. Ever. But since I'm apparently having dinner with you tomorrow..."

"Don't worry, Grandfather's not here yet. He and Grandmum wanted to take a little time to see Austria first. They won't be here for at least three days."

"Great. Now I just have to convince her to let me spend a whole evening away from the family."

"Good luck with that."

"Thanks. But if I have any chance of persuading them, I should probably go flying with dad now. I'll see you tomorrow." She stood up and kissed him quickly on the cheek before running to catch up with her mum, who was half-way out the door.

:-:

Much to Rose's amazement, it didn't take much convincing for her parents to let her have dinner with her 'friend' the following night. It allowed Hermione to talk Ron into Rome for sightseeing and dinner. And Hugo had found a group of kids his own age who were putting together a little gaming party while their parents were busy around the resort. It included free food, so of course he was planning on attending.

After her parents left, Rose went down to the lobby and spoke to Lando. He pointed her in the direction of Perfezioni la Misura, a clothing boutique where she was able to find a royal blue, one-strap dress and white shoes and clutch to wear that evening. She had just finished getting dressed when the note from Scorpius with his suite number arrived.

Draco answered the door when she knocked. He was wearing plain black dressing robes and grinned at her.

"Rose, so glad you could come. Is that for Scor?" He pointed to the thin, wrapped package in her hands.

"Oh, yes. I didn't get a chance to give him a Christmas gift before we left school." She was wearing her owl bracelet.

"Well, I'm sure he'll appreciate it. Please, come in."

The Malfoy suite was made up of four rooms, at least as far as Rose could see. The living and dining areas were combined into one room, where she was now, but she could see three doors leading off the room. Draco walked her over to the couches, where Scorpius and Astoria sat across from an elderly couple, both with long, white-blonde hair.

"Rose, these are my parents," Draco began. "Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. They've just arrived from holiday in Austria."

Scorpius caught her eye. He looked apologetic.

"Nice to meet you both," she said and prayed she sounded sincere. Her mother was going to kill her when she found out - and she _would_ find out.

"Such a pretty girl," said Narcissa. She had a quiet, but not unpleasant voice. She smiled warmly at Rose.

There were two arm chairs available. Rose sat in the one closest to Scorpius.

"It this your first trip to Italy, Rose?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes, it is."

"Have you been to Venice yet?"

"No. I'm afraid I have had much time for sight-seeing yet."

"Oh, you must go when you have the chance. It's the most beautiful place in Italy. Isn't it, Lucius?" He nodded his agreement.

She wasn't sure if it was because of the wrinkles, or the longer, whiter hair, or because of the way he was staring at her, but Rose was finding it more difficult to see the similarities between Lucius and Scorpius, even though all three men shared the same grey eyes.

"Draco tells me you're in Gryffindor," said Lucius. "A prefect. Correct?"

"Yes."

"What is it your father does for a living?"

"Father-" Draco warned.

"It's a harmless question, Draco. Nothing wrong in making small-talk."

Rose swallowed hard. "He's retired. He used to work in the Ministry."

"Oh? What department?"

"Magical Law Enforcement."

"And your mother?"

"She still works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"I see. Is that where you plan to go when you leave school."

"Not at all. I want to work in the Department for International Cooperation, if not become Minister myself." This earned her chuckles from all the adults.

"Very ambitious. Much like our Scorpius. Has he told you he wants to become the professor of History of Magic at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, he has. And I think it's a brilliant idea. They certainly need a new teacher."

"Indeed. And what is that?" He motioned to the gift, still clutched in her hands.

"Oh, for Scorpius." She handed it to him.

"Thank you," the boy said and made to put it on the seat beside him for later.

"Well, go on, Scorp. Open it," his mother urged.

He reluctantly picked the package up again and tore the paper off it in one fluid motion. Rose's nervousness eased a bit as she saw him smile.

"This is great, Rose. Thank you."

Draco walked around behind the couch to see what the picture was. "I don't believe it. How on earth did you manage to get the signatures of the entire team? It must have taken weeks..."

"It was really no trouble. My aunt used to play for the Harpies. She's still friends with a lot of the teams."

"Really?" said Lucius, perking up a bit. "Who?"

There was a knock at the door then.

"That's probably the food," said Draco, and he went to answer it while Astoria led everyone to the dining table.

During dinner they made lots of small-talk. Draco and Lucius would talk about the Ministry and politics with Astoria putting in her opinion every so often, whereas Narcissa was more curious to know what was going on at Hogwarts nowadays. When the returned to the sitting area with their tiramisu, the talk died down and everyone fell into an uncomfortable silence. After several minutes, Lucius broke the silence.

"Rose, may I speak to you alone, please?"

"Is something wrong, Grandfather?" Scorpius asked quickly.

"Not at all. I just want to have a little word with our guest. Shall we go out on the balcony?"

Rose could hardly say no. The way she saw it, it was either go on the balcony with the psycho not-so-ex-Death Eater, or run screaming from the room and pray that she made it out alive. The second option didn't look so promising. At least, she thought, her mother knew where she was in case she went missing.

The balcony wasn't large enough for a table or chairs, just for a couple of people to stand there and look over the resort. Thankfully a warming charm had been placed over it though, so could feel a small breeze but not the full affects of the snow.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" he said conversationally. Rose could only nod.

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked in a small voice.

"You're scared of me." It wasn't a question. "Why?"

"I know what you've done. What you used to do." He winced, and Rose thought she should take it all back somehow, but she could bring herself to think of a way.

"I have a bad reputation with your family, then, have I?" She nodded again. "May I ask your name?"

She couldn't see the harm in it now. And how hard would it be for him to go to the Headmistress and ask for the surname of the sixth-year Gryffindor girl?

"Weasley."

"And you're dating my grandson. Don't try to deny it. I've seen the way he looks at you. He loves you. Do you love him?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

"I thought so. That's why I wanted to talk to you." He sighed and looked out at the mountains. "I imagine you and Scorpius have gone through a lot already. Slytherin and Gryffindor. That's got to be hard for people to take."

"Not as hard as you'd think."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps things have changed. But blood ... that doesn't change."

"Do you hate me because I'm a half-blood, then?"

He turned to face her again, his cold grey eyes set against her chocolate brown ones. "My dear, I'm going to say this once and leave it in your hands to explain it fully to my grandson, because I'm sure at this very moment he's standing in front of the window with his want raised, waiting for me to make the wrong move. I do not - for whatever reason - hate you."

"But you said blood-"

"I simply meant our families and how different we are. Your grandfather and I were hardly friends. Things were even worse for my son and your ... uncle?"

"Father. And uncles, actually."

"Yes. I can't blame you for keeping your identity a secret around us, but I would advise you to let the secret out. My son seems to like you. That's good. I don't know if he still holds a grudge against your family, but perhaps meeting you like he did and seeing how happy you make Scorpius will change his mind."

The fell silent again, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Why are you helping me though? I mean, I thought ... the way Scorpius talked about you..."

"I've made many mistakes in my life, Rose. My family paid for them. My mistake almost cost Draco his life, but Narcissa somehow managed to fix all that. She kept us together through it all. And just when it could have meant losing everything, she showed me what really mattered, and it wasn't money or blood status or the dignity of my family.

"I've tried to show Draco how much I've changed, but sometimes it's a bit hard to remember it myself. My old ways show through occasionally, as they did tonight when I was questioning you. I believe Scorpius has heard many of the stories you have about the things I did back then and believes I'm still that horrible person."

"Why don't you set him straight, then?"

"I keep thinking I don't need to. That one day I'll do something so outstandingly _good_ that he'll know I've changed."

Looking back in the suite at her watching boyfriend, Rose had an idea. "I think you're right," she said. "Come on."

The went back inside, Lucius moving to sit beside his wife, and Rose pulling Scorpius up from the couch and taking his hand.

"I just wanted to thank you all for allowing me to join you tonight and being so open with me. But I'm afraid we haven't been completely honest with you. My name is Rose Weasley, and I'm Scorpius' girlfriend."

There was a second of complete silence. In that second, Scorpius was looking at her like she'd gone mental, Lucius and Narcissa were beaming at her, and Draco and Astoria were still trying to digest what she'd told them. Rose wasn't sure what the overall reaction of her statement was going to be, but she knew if she and Scorpius had come this far in their relationship - against all odds - then they could make it through a lot more.

**Author's Note:**

Hope everyone enjoyed. Please review?

-Lizzy


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